Westwood Veteran Sperry Forms New Studio

Westwood Studios co-founder and Command & Conquer creator Brett Sperry has formed a new development studio in Las Vegas, named Jet Set Games. Not only is the new company based in the same city as Westwood Studios, it also employees a number of ex-staff members, including Jet Set Games co-founder and vice president Adam Isgreen and co-founder and president Rade Stojsavljevic. One of the most respected PC developers of the ‘90s, Westwood Studios almost single-handedly created the real-time strategy genre with Dune II and Command & Conquer. The developer was also known for other titles such as role-playing series Eye of the Beholder and graphic adventures Blade Runner and the The Legend of Kyrandia series. Westwood was acquired by EA in 1998, but by 2003 the label had been discontinued and remaining staff were offered positions at EA Los Angeles. Many left to form Petroglyph Games, which has subsequently developed its own range of real-time strategy games, including Star Wars: Empire at War, Universe at War and the forthcoming Mytheon. However, the focus of Jet Set Games appears to be different; the studio is currently only planning to develop for the iPhone, Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Details on specific titles haven't yet been released. The company’s website says simply: "We’re returning to a time of elegant, refined design. Games you just picked up, played, and had a blast. Sinatra didn’t need no synthesizer, baby." The new studio also plans to offer "lifestyle tools" for the iPhone, but the associated website, Jet Set Apps, is currently only a holder page.